It was going to be controversial by any interpretation, even by fashion's
standards. Raf Simons this week showed his namesake menswear collection
during New York Style Week, with a collection titled ‘Youth In Motion’,
taking inspiration from the drug-addicted youth in Berlin in the late
seventies. The film Christiane F. was a starting point, with the show notes
reading: "Simons, like many Europeans of his generation, was exposed to the
harrowing world of Christiane F. in high school, where the film and the
book were discussed as a part of the currriculum of drug abuse and
addiction.

While many laud the film as a realistic account of drug addition, the David
Bowie soundtracked story has become an iconic fixture about disaffected
youth, depicting the grim realities of anti-authoritatian, decayed urban
silhouettes and the sinister escapes the disenfranchised are drawn towards.
Christiane F. was herself a heroin junky; young, wafer-thin with dyed red
hair, her 'look' has been a recurring influence in fashion shoots since the
film's debut in 1981.

On a hoisted stage, models wore sleeveless hoodies printed with the slogan
Drugs, latex gloves under rolled up wooly outerwear, and half-worn intarsia
sweaters, with sleeves dangling on models' chests. The catwalk permeated
through a mise-en-scene of a feast at its peak: half-poured glasses, empty
bottles of champagne artfully arranged, and mounds of fruits - grapes,
lemons - and stacked loaves of bread. Whether it echoes the opulent setting
of mid-century couture salons or the peak hour of a party, where guests are
significantly euphoric and in higher spirits.

The logo'ed drugs hoodies were an ode to Cookie Mueller and Glenn O’Brien’s
tragicomic play from the 1980s and "served as a template for deadpan,
color-coded patches listing drugs such as LSD, GHB, and 2C-B across sleeves
and shins, giving the spiral of addiction a clinical anchor that was equal
parts disturbing and funny," according to Dazed Digital.

The show is not a glorification of drug use

“Ultimately, ‘Youth In Motion’ seeks to neither glorify nor condone the
culture(s) of drugs; rather Simons seeks instead to consider the
persistent, almost ubiquitous presence of narcotics (prescribed or
otherwise) within our society and acknowledge our often conflicted
relationships with them; in turn opening up a more nuanced dialogue around
the implications for a society where addiction and the causes of addiction
remain largely taboo subjects, with – as both Christiane F. and the current
opioid crisis demonstrate – often untold human consequences.”

As for the clothes, Simons has the knack to transfer the zeitgeist into a
garment. The outerwear was the strongest, coming in peacoat, parka and
knee length versions. Interestingly there was not a bomber jacket in sight.
Suiting came in micro checks and featured slim trousers, another strong
category. Satin lined coats and parachute pants. Ultimately, the
drug-emblazoned hoodies will be sold out before they even reach the stores.